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Istanbul Ankara Cappadocia Tour 6
Days
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Istanbul Western Turkey Tour
7 Days
- Classical
Western and Central Anatolia Tour 10 Days
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Western Turkey Cappadocia Tour 11 Days
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Eastern Turkey Cappadocia Tour
11 Days
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Western Turkey Blue Voyage Cappadocia Tour 15 Days
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Complete Central, Mediterranean
And Western Turkey Tour 31 Days -
Eastern Turkey Tour 15 Days
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Biblical Sites Tour 17 Days
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Archaeology Tour Turkey 26 Days
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The Grand
Tour Of Turkey 30 Tour Days
- Abkhazia Tour
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Some Custom Tours Performed
Day 1.
Istanbul - Istanbul Hippodrome, where horse races took place
during Roman and Eastern Roman (Byzantine) times, Blue Mosque,
One of the masterpieces of the Ottoman architecture, Basilica
Cistern, the biggest cistern in town with 336 columns, St.
Sophia, the masterpiece of the Byzantine architecture, Topkapi
Palace, main residence of the Ottoman Sultans until the second
half of the 19th century, Grand Bazaar, Ottoman style shopping
area, having 64 Boulevards and streets 22 gates, 16 Inns and
3600 shops. Overnight in Istanbul
Day 2.
Istanbul - Istanbul Bosphorus Cruise to Black Sea by chartered
boat, Sadberk Hanim Museum having a great historical overview of
Asia Minor, Rumeli Castle a 15th century Ottoman castle built on
the Bosphorus, Dolmabahce Palace, main residence of the Ottoman
Sultans after the second half of the 19th century, Yildiz
Palace, A castle type of Ottoman palace built by Sultan
Abdulhamit II on the hills overlooking the Bosphorus, Overnight
in Istanbul
Day 3.
Istanbul - Gebze (Lbyssa of the ancient Bithynia region) -
Safranbolu (Unesco World Heritage Site) Beylerbeyi
Palace, Summer Palace of
the Ottoman Sultans, Drive to Hannibal's Tomb, Tomb of the
Carthagenian commander Hannibal, Drive to Safranbolu. From the
13th, century to the advent of the railway in the early 20th
century, Safranbolu was an important caravan station on the main
East–West trade route. The Old Mosque, Old Bath and Süleyman
Pasha Medrese were built in 1322. During its apogee in the 17th
century, Safranbolu's architecture influenced urban development
throughout much of the Ottoman Empire. Overnight in Safranbolu
Day 4.
Safranbolu - Ankara, The Old Houses, mosques and bath, Turkish
Delight workshop, with varieties of Turkish Delight including
the one with Saffron, Handicraft center, Drive to Ankara,
Overnight in Ankara
Day 5.
Ankara - Ankara Anatolian Civilizations Museum, an overview of
the history of Anatolia (Asia Minor), The Mausoleum of Ataturk,
founder of the modern Turkey, a summary of the recent history of
Turkey, Overnight in Ankara
Day 6.
Ankara - Hattusa (Unesco World Heritage Site) Drive to Hattusa,
capital of Hittites, who immigrated into Asia Minor from
Caucasus in the beginning of the 2 nd millenium, City walls,
Great Temple, Lion's Gate, Ground Gate, Sphinx Gate, Lion's
Gate, King's Gate, The Palace, The Museum in Bogazkoy, a museum
in the nearby village, Yazilikaya Open Air Temple, an open air
temple a few kilometers from Hattusa with reliefs on the surface
showing some of the most important deities of the Hittite
pantheon. Overnight in Hattusa.
Day 7.
Hattusa - Hacibektas - Cappadocia (Unesco World Heritage Site)
Hacibektas, Monastery of derviches and the tombs of holy saints,
Sarihan, Karavan hotel built in 1249 by Seldjukian Turks,
Pigeons Valley, a valley with large pigeon populations, Uchisar
village located on the heights of a steep hill like an Eagle's
nest, Optional derviche ceremony,
Day 8.
Cappadocia - Cappadocia, Urgup a charming town famous for cave
dwellings and wines, Sinassos, an old Greek village with churhes
and stylish houses, Cemil Village with an abandoned church
dating from 1908, Sobessos, a recently found Roman site, where I
believe a small Roman garrison resided initially, Mazi
Underground City, an Indiana Johns type of adventure, Valley of
Onions, with rock dug churches decorated with frescoes and
monasteries, Uchisar village offering the best panoramic view
with lined up valleys underneath and Erciyes Mountain in the
Horizon,
Day
9. Cappadocia - Cappadocia Optional hot air balloon flight,
Visit Avanos, ancient town of Venessa located by the Kizilirmak
river famous around Turkey for pottery making. Pasha bag, giant
mushroom rocks, so called fairy chimneys. Goreme Valley or
Goreme Open Air Museum. In this valley you will see
beautiful cave churches like Apple church, Snake church, Dark
church, Sandal church, Buckle church etc. all decorated with
beautiful biblical frescoes. Overnight in Uchisar.
Day 10.
Cappadocia - Cappadocia Derinkuyu Underground city, ready to get
lost in an 8 storey underground city? The Crater Lake, A crater
lake with stunning view, Guzelyurt town and it's cave dwellings,
Rose Valley, Visit of a cathedral size hidden church dug in the
rocks, in the bottom of a large valley, Optional Folk Dance
night in a rock dug cabaret,
Day 11.
Cappadocia - Konya Monastery of Mevlana, a 13th century poet and
philosopher, founder of whirling derviche secte, Karatay School,
a masterpiece of Seldjukian architecture, Ince Minare School,
13th century Seldjukian school where scientific research was
carried out, Mosque of Alaattin with tombs of Seldjukian
Sultans, Palace building, parts of an old Seldjukian palace,
Day 12.
Konya - Antalya Aspendos, located by the ancient Eurymedon
river, where Eurymedon battle took place in 469 B. C., Perge, an
ancient Greco Roman site,
Day 13.
Antalya - Antalya Hadrian's Gate, a roman gate with nicely
decorated arches, Ancient city, Ancient pier, Antalya Museum,
display of statues found in Pamphlylia region,
Day 14.
Antalya - Termessos - Gocek - Gulet, Drive to Termessos, A
Psidian city built on the top of Solymos Mountain at an altitude
of 1050 meters. From now on we will leave our minivan in Gocek
and start discovering the Lycian Coast on a Luxury Gulet. There
will be a cook, a sailor and a captain on the gulette where you
will be served on full board basis. We will embark the
gulet at Gocek in the afternoon. The Gocek coves and islands are
the meeting place of Turkey’s and the world’s intellectual
social groups. Gocek which was a calm and quite village until
almost yesterday, is now the scene of some construction work. We
ll cruise to Yassicalar Islands. These groups of islands are so
small that no one could come up with names for each of them.
They are known as Yassicalar group of Islands. There are no
facilities on the islands. On the largest island the beach is
near the point and a small pool formed, it is excellent for
children. One is able to swim between the different islets, the
closest being just 12 meters of distance. If you can swim for
half an hour, you can visit four different islands and if you
have shoes with you you can walk on each of them. Overnight in
Yassicalar Island.
Day 15. Today we
will sail or cruise to Oludeniz. The Blue lagoon of Oludeniz has
calm, crystal-clear waters which make it ideal for watersports and a
safe place for people to swim. Part of the lagoon area is now
protected as one of Turkey’s national park. Option’s for para
gliding are available.
Day 16. Around
sunrise we have an early departure to Firnaz Bay near Kalkan where
we expect to stop and serve breakfast and have time for swimming.
Sail or Cruise to Kas, a charming small town, former Antiphellos
founded in the 4th century B. C. Lycian rock tombs, sarcophagi and
the Roman theatre can still be seen. The town
offers excellent diving and swimming opportunities. It is possible
to arrange a scuba diving with a diving inscrtuctor here. Two
dives of 35 minutes each might be ideal for starters. We stop for
swimming, in a bay near Kekova.
Day 17. After
breakfast Departure to Sunken City of Kekova which is a protected
ancient Lycian site sunk under the water after a quake. The site was
declared as a Unesco World Heritage Site in 2000 and diving is no
longer permitted in the area.
Day 18. Today is
the day we will sail or cruise to Simena, Kalekoy, which offers a
bird’s eye view of the bays , inlets, islands and colourful yachts
sailing peacefully over the sea. Some people hire a sea kayak to
explore the area. Our next destination will be Kalkan, which is a
lovely small hilltop town that overlooks a tiny bay. It is a
quaint, traditional town with white washed houses, shuttered windows
and balconies with brilliant flowers that casdade to the streets
below. Kalkan is a lovely, peaceful holiday town of the Turkish
Mediterranean coast. In addition to Kas we will visit Xanthos,
capital of ancient Lycia. Patara with infinite sand beaches and
wonderful setting and Letoon another ancient Lycian city dedicated
to Leto, is next. Both Xanthos and Letoon are Unesco World Heritage
Sites. Return to Gulette late in the afternoon.
Day 19. Arrival
to Butterfly Valley, Pieri, Rapos, Euglapia, are just some of over
40 different species of butterfly that grace this beautiful bay.
Starting with spring, they can be observed for up to 9 to 10 months
of the year. We will have a breakfast here and start sailing back to
North. We will arrive at Fethiye in the afternoon, you can see the
town of Fethiye or go shopping, another option might be having a
Turkish bath. Overnight in Fethiye.
Day
20. After we had our breakfast in Fethiye harbour, we will sail to
Olive Island. It is located at the South end of the Yassicalar group
of islands. It is the only privately owned island in the area. There
is also an olive pressing workshop dating from the Otoman times on
this island. Next will be the Tersane island where we will
have large time for swiming and relaxing.
Day 21. Today is
our last sailing day. We will have some great bays to complete our
weekly sailing. First stop will be at Domuz Island. It is believe
that it has taken it's name from the wild boars living on that
island before. The island is also called Prince Island referring to
a prince who lived here. Boats can easily anchor and moor in the
cove of islands as its sheltered from the winds. Next stop is the
Cleopatra Bay which is also known as Hamam (bath) Cove. This island
is one of the coves that boats and yachts on the Blue cruise can not
pass without visiting. The cruisers love to spend the night here.
Right next to the quay you will see the ruins of a monastery, which
is partly under water. You may enjoy having a pleasant walk on the
shore and in the forest if you get off the boat. This is a lovely
place to spend the night and we will do so. Overnight in Cleopatra
Bay.
Day 22. Gocek -
Pamukkale After breakfast at 10:00 our gulet criuse will end in
Gocek Harbour. We will take our minivan to drive to Pamukkale (Unesco
World Heritage Site). Visit the travertines and the ancient city of
Hierapolis. Dedicated to Hiera, wife of the legendary founder of
Pergamon. This ancient city has an important necropolis. The
excavations initiated by the Italian archaeologist Paolo Verzone who
passed away several years ago are now being carried out by a team of
Italian archaeologists following his trend. The martyrium of St.
Philippe is high up on the hill but requires an extra 1 hour round
trip walk. The Theater, Nypmphaion, Plutonium temple are all
concentrated around the same district close by the water source
where you will see the open air swimming pool. There will be many
Russian fellows coming for daily excursions from Antalya and
they will be around you. They are very polite and kind. However the
Turkish staff seem to be tired of this mass of tourists.
Day 23.
Aphrodisias - Nysa Aphrodisias, a city dedicated to Aphrodite,
Overnight in Nysa (Sultanhisar)
Day 24. Nysa
- Halikarnassos Drive to Halikarnassos The Mindos Gate, The
Mausoleum, (One of the Seven Wonders of the Hellenistic Period)
The Castle of European knights housing the biggest Underwater
Archaeology Museum of the world.
Day 25.
Didyma - Miletus - Priene - Sirince Village Drive to Didyma
Visit the dipteros temple dedicated to Apollo, Miletus, leader
of the Ionian Cities, Priene, is another ancient Ionian city
built following the grill plan of Hippodamus from Miletus, Drive
to Sirince Village.
Day 26.
Ephesus - Ephesus Drive to Ephesus, an ancient Ionian city,
metropol of Roman Empire in Asia Minor. Terrace Houses, houses
of rich Ephesians located on the slope of a hill, Artemis
temple, (One of the Seven Wonders of the world in the
Hellenistic period) Museum, displaying nice statues, reliefs,
objects found in Ephesus and in the neighbouring areas. Basilica
of St. John, a Basilica built by Justinianus on top of formerly
so called tomb of St. John. Overnight in Sirince Village.
Day 27.
Ephesus - Belevi Mausoleum - Sardis Drive to Belevi, visit the
Mausoleum, possibly built for Lysimachos one of the generals of
Alexander the great. Continue to Sardis, capital of the Lydian
Empire Visit the mint by the ancient Pactolus river, Artemis
Temple, a pseudodipteros temple dedicated to Artemis, The
gymnasium, mainly built for sportive activities The synagogue,
built by Jewish communities, The start of the ancient king road,
which connected Sardis to Persia,
Day 28.
Sardis - Pergamon Drive to Pergamon, Acropolis, the Trajan
temple, the famous library, Athena temple, the theater, the
altar of Zeus (one of the seven wonders of the world) Asklepion,
medical center, Overnight in Pergamon.
Day 29.
Pergamon - Troy - Tomb of Dardanos - Canakkale Drive to Troy,
visit city walls of different levels of the site. Troy I, II and
VI. Proceed to the tomb of Dardanos, a local king who connected
his ancestry to Zeus and Electra. Drive to Canakkale. Overnight
in Canakkale
Day 30.
Canakkale - Istanbul Take ferry to the European side, Visit the
Gallipoli Battle fields, War museum, where several items from
the war, photographs, letters and personal belongings of the
soldiers are displayed. Anzac Cove, where Anzac troops
disembarked, Lone Pine cemetery, Trenches, Memorial of 57th
regiment, Chunuk Bair, the high strategical hill overlooking at
the Aegean and the Dardanelles at the same time. Proceed to
Istanbul. Overnight in Istanbul.
Day 31.
Istanbul - Istanbul Istanbul Archaeology Museum, Main
archaeology museum in town City Walls rebuilt by Constantine the
great, Church of St. Saviour in Chora, masterpiece of the
Byzantine art, Eyup Mosque, a sacred place for muslims, Cafe
Pierre Loti, a historical place where French novelist Pierre
Loti lived offering great view of the Golden Horn bay, Koc
Industry Museum, located by the ancient Lengerhane where anchors
were manufactured has displays showing the recent industrial
development in Turkey. End of my services.
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